Best holiday parks, hotels and pubs in England 2025 revealed – with soft play, safari lodges and floating pods
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VISITENGLAND has revealed the best holiday parks as well as hotels and pubs across the UK for 2025.
Polmanter Holiday Park in St Ives has won 'Camping, Glamping and Holiday Park of the Year'.
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Polmanter Holiday Park won Camping, Glamping and Holiday Park of the Year
Credit: Polmanter Touring Park
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Inside is soft play, games room, and kids' areas
Credit: Polmanter Touring Park
Run by the Osbornes for over fifty years, the campsite in Halsetown is just a three-minute drive to the middle of St Ives and six minutes from the beach.
One of the reasons for its popularity is the many on-site activities, from golf on the putting green to tennis on the all-weather tennis courts, a football pitch and plenty of walking routes.
For any keen walkers, you can pick up the famous Salt Path (South West Coast Path) from St Ives, or towards Zennor.
There's also a heated outdoor swimming pool open from May until mid-September.
The 20m long pool has the room for serious swimmers, as well as a shallow end to splash about. On the banks are plenty of sun loungers to laze about on when the sun shines.
Outside are also two playgrounds, one designed for younger children with a wooden camper van and tractor. The second for slightly older kids with a zip wire and wooden pods.
And recently added to the site is an outdoor playground and indoor soft play area.
There's areas dedicated to kids of all ages from toddler area to a teenage hangout in the games room.
When it comes to food and drink, there's The Stable Bar is open from 9am, with food available until 9pm (8pm on Sundays).
During the week, there's entertainment in the bar from bingo and quiz nights to live music sessions from local musicians.
Award-Winning Campsite Has Floating Hideaways
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There's plenty to do for kids outside like have a go on the climbing frames
Credit: Polmanter Touring Park
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The award-winning holiday park is minutes away from the coast
Credit: Polmanter Touring Park
Pitches welcome tents, caravans, campers and motorhomes with all pitches are self-catered with views across the Atlantic.
Anyone who doesn't fancy pitching up, but wants to stay on the site, can also stay in the two luxury self-catered apartments that sleep up to four people.
Or there's the two country cottages that each sleep up to six, and each has its own hot tub.
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Hippersons Boatyard was the holiday park in third place
Credit: Hippersons Boatyard
The holiday park that came in second place was Mendip Basecamp, Somerset.
The site has glamping safari tents, nomandic bell tents and an activity centre with over 20 activities to book from archery to snowsports.
In third place was the Hippersons Boatyard, Suffolk which is a unique holiday park with floating pods.
The self-catering, holiday destination in Beccles, is known for its houseboats and pods that sit on the river.
Mallory Court Country House Hotel & Spa in Warwickshire, bagged top spot for Large Hotel of the Year.
It boasts luxurious accommodation and is set in 10 acres of grounds.
While Summer Lodge Country House Hotel in the village of Evershot in Dorset got gold for Small Hotel of the Year.
Visitors can stay in the main hotel, or in the private cottages - and use the on-site spa.
The Farmers Arms in Devon scooped up Gold for 'Pub of the Year'.
Here are more UK campsites that have 10/10 reviews with honesty shops and resident deer.
And more of Britain's best family-friendly campsites – with free-roaming wallabies, farm parks and tractor rides.
Full List of VisitEngland Winners Revealed
Accessible and Inclusive Tourism Award :
GOLD - Eureka! Science + Discovery, Merseyside
Silver - Marsham Court Hotel, Dorset
Bronze - The Courtyard, Herefordshire
B&B and Guest House of the Year:
GOLD - Sunnyside Guest House Southport, Merseyside
Silver - Abbots Grange Manor House, Worcestershire
Bronze - Boscastle House, Cornwall
Business Events Venue of the Year:
GOLD - Keele University Events and Conferencing, Staffordshire
Silver - Jodrell Bank Centre for Engagement, Cheshire
Bronze - The Glasshouse International Centre for Music, Tyne & Wear
Camping, Glamping and Holiday Park of the Year:
GOLD - Polmanter Touring Park, Cornwall
Silver - Mendip Basecamp, Somerset
Bronze - Hippersons Boatyard, Suffolk
Ethical, Responsible and Sustainable Tourism Award sponsored by Sykes Holiday Cottages:
GOLD - Sunnyside Guest House Southport, Merseyside
Silver - The Quiet Side, Cumbria
Bronze - Battlesteads, Northumberland
Experience of the Year:
GOLD - Cow Cuddling, Dumble Farm, East Riding of Yorkshire
Silver - The Wizard Walk of York, North Yorkshire
Bronze - Introduction to Sailing, Mylor Sailing School, Cornwall
International Tourism Award:
GOLD - The Beatles Story, Merseyside
Silver - World of Wedgwood, Staffordshire
Bronze - St Mary's Guildhall, West Midlands
Large Hotel of the Year sponsored by Ecclesiastical:
GOLD - Mallory Court Country House Hotel & Spa, Warwickshire
Silver - Sandburn Hall, North Yorkshire
Bronze - Titanic Hotel Liverpool, Merseyside
Large Visitor Attraction of the Year sponsored by Raw Charging Network Ltd:
GOLD - Black Country Living Museum, West Midlands
Silver - National Space Centre, Leicestershire
Bronze - Liverpool Football Club Tours & Experiences, Merseyside
Pub of the Year:
GOLD - The Farmers Arms, Devon
Silver - The Blind Bull, Derbyshire
Bronze - The Griffin Inn, Leicestershire
Small Hotel of the Year:
GOLD - Summer Lodge Country House Hotel, Dorset
Silver - Seaham Hall, County Durham
Bronze - The Montagu Arms Hotel, Hampshire
Small Visitor Attraction of the Year:
GOLD - No.1 Royal Crescent, Bath
Silver - King Richard III Visitor Centre Leicestershire
Bronze - Sculpture by the Lakes, Dorset
Taste of England Award:
GOLD - The Cavendish Hotel, Derbyshire
Silver - Searcys at The Pump Room, Bath
Bronze - The Riverside at Aymestrey, Herefordshire
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The fabric is tough and durable and easy to clean and folding it out is simple and fast. There's even a small pocket great for stashing keys or a phone. Key specifications 11. Best Heated Camping Chair: Vango Radiate Grande DLX If the idea of sitting outside leaves you a little cold, then Vango's heated range offers a solution. There's a near-invisible heating element built into the lower panel of the backrest, which runs off a power bank (not supplied) that can fit snugly in the inbuilt pocket under the seat. It has four temperature settings controlled by a large button – one click for red (hottest), down to blue (coolest). Despite my scepticism on how much heat I could get from a single panel, once paired with a blanket over my legs, it did indeed keep me toasty well after sunset. The seat can be adjusted from upright to near lie flat – with seven options available – meaning you can completely chill, without actually getting chilled. 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Featuring a range of designs – unicorns, cars and woodland creatures – he was immediately taken with the owl on the latter while I, meanwhile, was enamoured with the fact that, unlike most kids' options, there were no open sides he could inadvertently slip through or try and climb between. It's also well-padded for comfort, easy to fold away and with a seat height of 28cm, he can easily get in and out of it himself. It is, unsurprisingly given the padding, a little bulky, but it takes an impressive weight load, meaning it should last him a while. At a push, it can even just about take my weight when he undoubtedly steals my seat again… Key specifications Weight: 2.7kg Seat height: 28cm Maximum load: 60kg (9.4 stone) 13. Best Folding Camping Chair for Festivals: Snow Peak Take Bamboo Score: 8/10 We like: Lifetime guarantee, bamboo and canvas design We don't like: It's heavy and not cheap Rocking up at a festival with your camping gear is not just about comfort and practicality, but about what your kit says about you too. With this bamboo and canvas designed foldaway number – which not only takes a reasonable weight, packs down easily to fit in your car/campervan and features a long back and decent seat height for maximum comfort – it shows that you care as much about sustainability as you do about style. As well as the wood being responsibly sourced, the chair is guaranteed to last a lifetime, with Snow Peak pledging to repair it no matter how old it is. It may not be the lightest offering here, but those eco-creds do take a weight off your mind and thanks to the removable and washable canvas seat, you can enjoy the festival knowing that any food or drink mishaps are easily dealt with. Key specifications Camping chair FAQs Which is the comfiest camping chair? There are a lot of padded options, including the Vango Embrace which I have made my number one pick. Some also have extras, such as reclining functions or built-in tables. But these are bulky and best suited to people heading to their campsites by car. I believe the most important thing when choosing a camping chair is to check out the seat height: some are low and not easy for everyone to get in and out of. Child-sized camping seats are available, too. For wild camping aficionados like me, or those who want to take minimal gear with them, look instead for small pack size, low weight and fabric durability. Finally, no matter if you're going wild or mild, always check the chair's maximum load weight. You want to be sure that every member of your party can be safe and comfortable. What material are camping chairs made of? The first portable folding stool is believed to have been made over 4,500 years ago in Mesopotamia, but JB Fenby's 1881 folding chair in wood and canvas set the standard and still inspires many of the camping chairs made today, including the Snow Peak bamboo chair above. The arrival of lightweight aluminium post-WW2 expanded the possibilities and nowadays there's a huge range of specially-designed outdoor seats to choose from, usually made from weatherproof synthetic fabrics and meshes.
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